Green Gooseberry Jam with Elderflower
Season: Late May to June. I welcome the first tiny gooseberries that appear in the month of May, just as the first boughs of elder flowers are beginning to show. The berries are picked when small, almost as a thinning process, allowing their brothers and sisters to fill out and mature on the bush. But these early green goddesses are full of pectin, sharp, and tart, and make a divine jam. The fragrant elder flowers add a flavor that will remind you, when the days are short and dark, that summer will come again.